What Is And Never Should Be
by zosimos
Summary: Reverse'verse: What are dreams made of?


Senior Colonel Edward Elric gave a long, exaggerated groan when Sheska put a new pile of folders on the edge of his desk. "Seriously?" Edward asked her, eying the manilla folders as if they were representative of all the evil in the world. "I _just _finished a stack of expense reports from the last inspection tour of the west."

"Sorry," Sheska said, not sounding particularly apologetic at all. She collected the outgoing stack of paperwork, tapping the folders along the edge of the desk to straighten them before tucking them against her chest. "It came from the General, you know how it is."

"He passes along all his paperwork to me," Edward grunted, sitting back in his desk chair and stretching his arms out over his head, spine arcing against the straight edge of the chair's back. "Doesn't anyone else in this military ever do any work, or is it just that my garrison is the dumping ground for everyone else's shit?" He crossed his arms over his chest petulantly. "I'd put cenz on the latter."

"It's not _that_ bad," Sheska said. "Mostly, it's dossiers on a few of the new State Alchemist candidates, they keep getting sent to the General's office instead of yours."

"Is it that time of the year _already_?" Edward said, dropping his gloved automail hand over his eyes. "Shit, it _is_. I am not ready for this again, not after that stupid assassination attempt. I'd never seen so much paperwork in my _life_, no wonder Mustang hated it when I went and blew shit up, it generates SO MUCH PAPERWORK." Edward slumped in his desk chair dramatically. "I HATE paperwork."

Sheska smiled sympathetically. "Also," she said.

Edward lifted his hand and stared at Sheska. "..._also_? There's an also?"

"The General wants to see you in his office after he gets out of his meeting with the acting-Fuhrer."

Edward's look was one of pure disbelief. "_Again_?"

She shrugged, and propped her free hand on her hip. "I just play messenger around here, Ed, sorry."

"I'm going to have to think of something creative to transmute him into," Edward growled. "Something that _smells_, maybe a fuckin' compost heap or something, the bastard'd like that." He glowered up at Sheska, who still had not left. "What? Is there_more_?"

"You don't have to snap at me, you know."

Edward grumbled something probably ridiculously obscene under his breath, and then sighed. "I'm sorry, Sheska. It's just been a _long_ fuckin' day and it's not even lunch yet. Do you know what it's about?"

"Probably that State Alchemist in your command, sounds like he was wrecking holy hell out in the East again. Something about the Pointhill garrison?" Sheska shrugged.

"I need a vacation," Edward announced.

"Don't we all," Sheska muttered.

"A _long_ one. Someone remind me why I'm still in this stupid military? I could be making some serious dough as a privately contracted alchemist..."

"Don't forget, the General's supposed to be out of his meeting shortly after lunch." Sheska waved her hand and dismissed herself, off to file Edward's batch of completed paperwork and to do whatever else it was secretaries did when he wasn't looking.

Edward groaned and looked at the clock - it was just now nearing eleven a.m., so he still had an hour to kill before he could even skip out of this excuse for an office and go into town for food that wasn't an affront to the digestive track. He was going to need it if he was in for a dressing-down over the situation in the East. He had not even gotten a report _in_ on that, just hearsay. His own Intelligence network was small, and Alphonse had not yet rung him to tell him that "his" State Alchemist was in the military brig again, so there was not _telling_ what pile of shit that brat had waded in to.

And here he had thought that the day was long _before_ Sheska had come in. Shit, he really _did_ need a vacation. Edward picked up the top folder - with the examinations coming up again fast he did not have the time for one. Might as well get this over with, the sooner he eliminated the pile the sooner he could go check out what new food carts had appeared in the town square today.

* * *

><p>Edward Elric was a familiar sight in the military base at Central Command. He had been there frequently as a teenager, clearly identifable from halfway across base in bright reds and dark blacks, a spitfire as loud as his ensemble. These days it was his brilliant golden hair that stood out the most, for he too wore the familiar blue uniform of the Amestrian military.<p>

The General's office was practically on the other side of base. Captain Hawkeye had come by to remind him of the meeting, disturbing Edward's quest to build a house out of the many manilla folders on his desk. That had earned quite the impressive glower from Captain Hawkeye - if there was anyone here who made him feel like he was twelve years old with a look it was her. He had slunk from his office, duly reprimanded.

Soured by the realization that Captain Hawkeye would likely have Sheska clear out all the manilla folders by the time he returned, Edward glared at the door to the General's office. He really _should_ knock, it was the deferential thing to do, but since when did Edward ever play by those rules? He shrugged and let himself in.

The outer office of a General was much larger in size than the entire office that contained Edward's tiny command. There was only one desk in the outer office, and it was unsurprisingly unoccupied. However, the door just behind the desk was open, and its resident looked up at Edward's unannounced entrance.

General Roy Mustang glanced at Edward, and then to the clock on the wall. "You're late," he rumbled, his dark hair slicked back, away from his face.

Edward closed the door firmly behind him, actually taking a moment to glance around the office to make sure that they were alone before snorting disrespectfully. "Suck it, Mustang. What the hell do you wnat?" He crossed the inner office and threw himself onto one of the uncomfortable-looking green couches. "I was _busy._"

"Busy," Roy murmured. "I'm sure that you were, the State Alchemist examinations are coming up again, are they not?"

Edward ran a hand through his bangs, hooking an elbow back of the edge of the couch. He sprawled comfortably in this office, not caring a whit about military decorum. He huffed out a sigh. "What's this all about, Roy?"

"There is some concern about how the examinations are going to be handled this year," Mustang said smoothly, tapping the pen in his fingers on the desk. "Especially given all that occurred last year."

He could not help but smirk at Roy. "Aw, are you stil sore that I managed to keep all of that from you?"

Roy gave Edward a flat look, and Edward grinned larger. "I've got my OWN resources now, Mustang."

"As you keep reminding me," Roy said. "At any rate, the security procedures are going to place a hell of a lot of military police at my disposal, and I need the person in charge-"

"Which is me."

"Thank you, Ed, for that fact had somehow mysteriously escaped my notice," Roy returned dryly. "We are going to need to have a sit-down - on the _clock_, Edward - and outline how this is going to work. There is still a gaping hole in the ground from the building you managed to raze last year."

"That wasn't expressly my fault and you know it," Edward grinned at at Roy and knew _exactly_ how insufferable he was being, as Roy was likely to outline it in great detail later that evening. He had learned from the bes,t after all. "Was that it, seriously? I figured that this was about the brouhaha in the East or something."

Roy arched an eyebrow. "Are you having difficulties keeping your State Alchemist in line, Colonel Elric?"

"Nothin' I can't handle, General Mustang," Edward retorted in the same tone of voice. He eyed Roy a moment. "If I ever find out that it was your idea to assign him to my unit..."

There was a long pause, and this time it was Roy's turn to smirk. "I do not have anything else for you, just that we need to schedule a meeting on the military's time."

Edward stood up with a groan. "You honestly made me walk halfway across base _just_ to tell me we need to schedule a meeting? Such a waste of military funds, Mustang." He crossed in front of Roy's desk, and Roy folded his hands in front of his face to mask his smile. "If you wanted to see me that badly, we could have met for lunch."

"That might raise suspicions that we're collaborating." Edward was aware that Roy was staring at his ass, masked as it was by the skirt of the military uniform. "I will have Captain Hawkeye schedule something."

Edward paused when his hand hit the doorknob, and then he glanced over his shoulder, golden eyes lazy. "Working late tonight?"

"Mm, probably." Roy shuffled the papers on his desk, and then met Edward's eye. "I will see you tonight, love."

Edward flashed him a grin, and closed the door securely behind him.

* * *

><p>The lights were already on, a warm amber glow that leaked out through the first floor windows of Roy's townhouse. Edward trotted up the stairs to the porch and let himself in, waving to Lieutenant Havoc, who had driven him home.<p>

"I thought you were going to be late," Edward called, shrugging off his dark greatcoat and hanging it on the coat rack in the foyer, dwarfed slightly by Roy's larger version.

It was cozy inside. Roy had stoked the fire in the den and it warmed the entire first floor. Edward unfastened the clasps of the military jacket as he walked through the den into the kitchen, where he could smell the coffee on. Roy looked up and smiled when Edward entered the kitchen. His dark hair was roughed up and tousled, freed from where he had slicked it back earlier.

Roy always looked so much younger when he didn't have his hair slicked back. "I'm home," Edward announced, as if Roy could not possibly have heard his earlier shout. Edward leaned his shoulder against the doorframe and raised an eyebrow at Rian, who was sitting at the kitchen table and looked a bit sullen. "Okay, I really thought you weren't supposed to be back for another week, kiddo."

"Apparently, Lieutnant Colonel Elric put him on a train this morning," Roy said. He sounded more amused than upset, and Edward shook his head.

"Al didn't call me, why?"

"Because you were busy," Roy said simply.

Rian huffed, his chin in his hand and elbow on the table itself. "You know, you don't have to talk about me like I'm not here."

Edward entered the kitchen and put his hand on Rian's shoulder, before leaning down and kissing the top of his head. "You are suck a pain in my ass," he said affectionately, ruffling Rian's hair. "I missed you."

Rian grunted his acknowledgement of Edward's affection, as Edward passed him to put his arms around Roy's back. Roy did not stop preparing the coffee, choosing to work instead around Edward as Edward sighed into his back. "Fuckin' hate the military," he grumbled into Roy's collared shirt.

"And yet, you are so good at it," Roy said, amused. He glanced at Edward as Edward hooked his chin over Roy's shoulder to watch him suspiciously, as if he would let the carton of cream get anywhere near his thick-as-sludge coffee. "You know, I appreciate it, Ed," he murmured, his voice for Edward alone. "All of it, everything you do for me."

A weird feeling settled in the pit of Edward's stomach at the words. Instead of dwelling on it, though, Edward dismissed it and got on the balls of his feet so he could kiss Roy. "You _better_ appreciate it, you jackass," he teased. "Do you have any idea how much money I could be making as a contracter?"

"Please tell me you did not spend the afternoon getting quotes on freelance alchemy," Roy said with a groan.

Edward grinned at him, and then glanced back at Rian. "Okay, so, where the hell have you _been_?" Edward asked, releasing Roy and pulling a chair out from the table to sit opposite of Rian. "And, please tell me this because I am _dying_ to hear it, why did you bring down the garrison at Pointhill? That's a hell of a mess from something that isn't my fault in the slightest."

"Technically you're at fault, he's under your command," Roy reminded Edward.

"Fuck everything about that, if I'm going to get in trouble for something I damn well better have had a hell of a lot of fun first," Edward said.

"It's not my fault, anyway," Rian grunted. "The damn chimera was trying to eat me."

"Another one?"

"This was the same one." Rian folded his arms on the table and put his chin on them. "Massive fucking mound of a chimera, did you know that the Lieutenant Colonel at Pointhill kept it on a _leash_ in the courtyard? Do you know what he _fed_ it?"

"Nope, but I have a feeling I'm about to find out," Edward said, propping his elbow on the table and putting his chin in his hand. Roy set coffee mugs down before him and Rian, before taking his seat at the table as well. "So, please, explain to me how a single chimera inspired you to bring three buildings down around your ears last week..."

* * *

><p>With the fire going in the hearth, the room was warm and toasty. Edward was drowsy; he had claimed the corner of the couch and had balanced a large stack of folders on the arm rest behind him. He had plenty of reading to do before he could pass out for the night, if he didn't get a chunk of this done before work in the morning there were even odds that Sheska would force-feed him the folders for breakfast.<p>

Edward barely looked up when Rian got on the couch beside him, although he did have to shuffle a bit to accomodate when Rian decided that Edward made a better pillow than anything else and curled up half on top of him, drowsing in the warmth of the room.

There wasn't enough room for Roy on the couch, but that was all right. He sat in his favorite easy chair and read the evening papers. Every now and then Edward would hear the rustle of the pages turning and he would glance up, catching Roy as he watched Edward and Rian while smiling wistfully. Edward would catch his eye and they would share the same, contented smile. Edward slung one arm over Rian's slumbering side and tried to concentrate on the file he was reading.

He ended up waking just a little as Roy wormed the folder out from under his hand, where he had dropped it to his chest. Edward groped for Roy's head, wanting to pull him down into a sleepy kiss. Roy ducked under his hand and pulled the blanket up over Edward and Rian carefully. "Go to sleep," Roy murmured, his voice a husky hum. "I'll keep watch over you both, Ed, I promise. Just, sleep."

* * *

><p>Dammit, he was getting to be too old to fall asleep on the couch like this. Edward woke sore, with a crick in his neck and a heavy, too-warm lump of a slumbering alchemist sprawled halfway on top of him. Edward groaned and tried to prod Rian into wakefulness.<p>

The grandfather clock, a relic from Roy's house that was dwarfed by the two bookcases Edward had shoved it between, chime the hour. It was really late - or really, really early, depending. "C'mon," Edward grunted, trying to get Rian to roll off of him. "Bed. REAL bed. With pillows and everything. Up."

Rian groaned a little. "_Comfy._"

Edward sighed, he really did not want to have to drag Rian to bed, but he would if he had to. Instead of moving, though, he hung his head off of the arm restof the couch and stared into the smouldering embers of a partially burned-out fire. Rian yawned against his chest and sighed contentedly. "I had the weirdest dream," Edward said softly, running his fingers through Rian's soft, fluffy hair.

"Mmm," Rian mumured, not opening his eyes.

It was weird, and it was slipping away from his conscious mind, like water through a sieve. Edward couldn't quite grasp the threads of it, and instead he yawned. "What possessed you to stoke a fire tonight?" he asked Rian sleepily.

Rian shifted, and lifted his head. The dim, warm light made his slate eyes even darker than usual. "What are you talking about, colonel? I didn't stoke the fire, I thought you did."

* * *

><p>Snapshots From Another Life Prompt #13 of 25: Fantasy<p> 


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